Oee sepabatok



v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. BALL.

' ORE SEPARATOR.

No, 103,825. Patents 3d June 7, 1870.

2 Sheets-Sheet? HLBALL;

on B SEPARATOR.

FIG. 4'

FIG-.5.

iii-tilted givers HOSEA BALL, OF NEW YORK,

Letterslalent N 103,825, dated J Mei, 1821).

IMPROVEMENT IN ORE-SBPARATORS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making pat; at thesame.

I, HOSEA Biinl ot the city, county and State of New ii'ork, haveinvented an improved Ore-Separator, of which the following is aspecification.

Nature and Objects of the Invention.

M y apparatus is designed to sort into various (llllll ities, accordingto gravity, metallic ores reduced into 11 wml imli fi l li ll- 'lhcslimes from the stamps, for instance, are discharged in regulatedquantities into an ascending body of water, which carries the relativelylighter portions to one point of.disehargc, and allows the heavier tosink iutoanothcr receptacle.

The special .poiuts of invention which distinguish my apparatus fromthose which have preceded it are:

First, the distribution o comminnted ores, of varying degrees offineness, to separate trunks, in each of which the rate of motion of thecolumn of water is adjusted to the specific requirements of the grade ofore in said trunk.

Second, the emission of the commiuutod ore through an annular throat atthe end of the feed-pipe, atwhich point; it meets the upward current ofwater, which thence flows in an annulo-oylindrical trunk within an outercasing, or dowucast trunk of similar character.

Third, the coaxial arrangement of the downcast water-trunk, npcastwater-trunk, and central feed-cylinder, giving a compact form, and onenot subject to induce irregular currents, or such as may have uncqualforce at ditierent parts of their course.

Description of the Accompanying Drawing.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of my apparatus,showing {our trunks opcratingiu concert upon diflerent grades ofmaterial from the perforated cylinder above.

Figure 2 is a view on the plane of the line a b, fig. 1, showing theupper works in section, and one oi'thc trunks in elevation.

Figure 3 is a vertical central section of one of the trunks, on a planecutting through both of the discharge-spouts, on the line 0 d, fig. 5.

Figure 4 is a view in which the outer or dowucast water-trunk is insection, but the interior portions are iin elevation. Its line ofsection is the dotted line 0 j} Figure 5 is a top view, looking down onthe trunk.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line h, figs. 3 and 4.

General Description.

The upper port-ion of the apparatus, which distributes the ore or slimesinto the trunks, is exhibited in figs. 1 and 2, and to those views thefirst part of the description will partichlarly refer.

A is a sponsor pipe, which conducts the slimes from the stamping-millsor grinder, and delivers them into The the smaller end of the perforatedcylinder B. perforations at the imluction-eull are liner, or the meshesof the wire-cloth are smaller, as the case may he, than at any otherpoint, becoming coarser toward the larger cud oi the cylinder.Difi'crcnt sections of the length oi the cylimlerhave ditlbreutgrades oflinencss, so as to distribute to each trunk an :unn-oxhuately evenquality of ore.

The cylinder has a rotary motion by means of a crank or band.

C is a water-pipe, with branches 6 t", which convey water from the tank0 into the cylinder, and distribute it in sprays through numerous holes.The cutering shares are supposed to have water enough to convey thefiner particles through the meshes or apertures near the entering end ofthe cylinder, and the pipe 0 is shown as destitute of holes for a.portion of its length.

Beyond this closed portion the pipe is perforated, as is also thecompanion pipe 0 which enters from. the other end of the. cylinder, theobject being to atiord a .sullicient amount of water to encourage thepassage of the various grades of Slimes or comminuted ores through themeshes of varying openness, as they are successive] y traversed.

.lfig. 1 shows four trunks in position to catch theresults of thesifting arrangement described, but I do not limitmysclf to anyparticularnumber.

The shaft b passes through the cylinder B, and is supported in such away as not to interfere with the passage of the pipes which convey thewater.

The slimcs which pass from the sifting or gradingcyliudcr B are receivedin the successive hoppers 1) l) l)" D", which convey the gradedqualities to the respective trunks E E E" 19", in each of which the saidore is subjected to the action of water, to sort it according to gravityinto two parcels. It. will be apparent from the description that thetruukE will have the finest quality and 15" the coarsest, the tbrmerbeing perhaps an almost impalpahle powder, and the latter havingparticles perhaps as large as cubes of one-eighth inch on their sides.

The ore and water falls into the central cylinder F of the washer, andis thence distributed into the upcast water-trunk G, passing against theperiphery of the cone or valve H, which regulates the feed, and which isadjustable vertically by the nuts h h, so as to vary the width of theannular opening according to the size of the particles of ore, and theother possible requirements of the process, such as those resulting fromcomparative poverty or levity of the gang, &c.

Each trunk is' supplied with water by means of a pipe, K, from the tank0'. The water is received in the funnel l. belonging to the tank, (seefigs and 1,

es ll strikes'against the are as it issues from the annular openingbounded by the cone H and the lower edge of the cylinder 1".

The cfl'cct ot the upward column of water is to car ry up all theparticles which have less than a certain speeitic gravity, or whichpresent a certain amount; of surface to the current, while those of aheavier description will sink to the bottom of the tank J. The saidlighter particles tiow out at the spouts L, and are treated according totheir character. The heavier particles are removed, as occasion mayrequire, from the man-hole or shovel-hole M.

The description just given applies in general terms to each of thetrunks, the operation proceeding simultaneously in each, but a variationoccurs in the area of opening around the valve H, and, also, in. theamount oi'watcr ali'orded to each trunk, according to the grade of theme under treatment.

The valve H may be of other forms than that represented, the annularcharacter of the throat or feedopening being maintained. I do not desireto confine myself to any particular form of valve.

The tank 0 has an overflow-pipe, and the water in the tank is thereby kpt at a constant height, so that its regulation may remain uniform, whenonce adjusted.

The co-avial fll'i'nligel'nenii of the cylinders J G F,

ducts, and the ore-supply pipc, serveto distribute the water to the orein an equable manner, reasonably free from counter-currents and specialdetermination of the water to particular points. Were the waterintroduced at one or several points it would produce edthe ore, andwould thus fail to exert a uniform action thereupon over the wholesectional area, at which takes place the critical selection by gravity,determinin, the destination of the individual particles.

What I claim as new is-- 1. The cylinder 13, having meshes orperfiirations of varying fineness at different parts of its length, andacting in connection with the necessary ore-c r spout and water-pipcstodistribute the graded ore to different trunks, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination of the adjustable valve H with the co-axial cylinderJ G F, operating, as described, to emit an annular stream of ore againstan ascending: current of water, for the purpose stated in thespecification.

3. The co-axial' arrangement of the cylinders J G I", constructed andoperating as dcscrihet To the above specification of my improvements inore-separators]. have signed my hand this 7th day oi May, A. 1). i870.

. uosm BALL.

Witnesses:

Roux-um ll. KNIGHT,

dies and unequal action at the point of contact,witli'

